


Utopia

by TheShyOrator



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Yamanaka Ino, Cyberpunk, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 16:09:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13861314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShyOrator/pseuds/TheShyOrator
Summary: In a world where the rich become richer while the poor stay poor, the sudden reality of the supernatural looms over Sakura. Who is the redhaired stranger with the affinity for spinning threads and why is he looking for her? What do the markings on her chest mean? Will Sakura keep her head above the rising water or will she be eaten by the ghoul that lives on her balcony? (SasoSaku Soulmate AU)





	1. A Birthday to Remember

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be short, but I have absolutely no self-control. To wrap it up: Utopia is a fusion of numerous themes, such as cyberpunk, soulmate marks, and the supernatural. Inspired by Cristobal Tapia De Veer’s music, Akira and Studio Ghibli (particularly Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle), as well as [@vesperlionheart](http://vesperlionheart.tumblr.com/) [Peridot](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11326851/1/Peridot), and [@frostmarris](http://frostmarris.tumblr.com/) [Incantations](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9142315/chapters/20771668) (I could rave about their stories for hours so go take a look at their work if you haven’t already!).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be short, but I have absolutely no self-control. To wrap it up: Utopia is a fusion of numerous themes, such as cyberpunk, soulmate marks, and the supernatural. Inspired by Cristobal Tapia De Veer’s music, Akira and Studio Ghibli (particularly Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle), as well as [@vesperlionheart](http://vesperlionheart.tumblr.com/) [Peridot](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11326851/1/Peridot), and [@frostmarris](http://frostmarris.tumblr.com/) [Incantations](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9142315/chapters/20771668).

                                                             

Artwork by [@minisceptic](https://minisceptic.tumblr.com/)

_Please ask for permission before reposting it elsewhere and do not remove credit!_

* * *

Their heels clicked loudly against the flagstones as they walked up the street towards the restaurant. It had stopped raining yesterday, and the puddles reflected neon flashes of advertisement. Holographic images of gadgets and beaming people assaulted them from every angle. Sakura eyed passersby on the street but saw none of the cheerfulness being showcased. She didn't have to look to know that Ino was just as unimpressed by it as her. The evening was approaching, and they passed men wearing expensive suits who were escorting beautiful ladies that were swathed in luxurious furs and jewelry, all of whom were in search of a night of entertainment to sate their vices. There was none of the hard-eyed gauntness Sakura was used to seeing in the slums. This was a different kind of hunger that only the corrupt and the wealthy experienced.

Sakura despised them.

They’d parked her motorcycle in an area reserved for the restaurant’s guests, and Sakura had left her boots and jacket with her bike. She thanked the high heavens that Ino had taught her how to walk in these death contraptions. Their arms were looped together, and Ino’s flowing dress brushed against Sakura’s leg with every step they took. She looked fantastic tonight, having chosen a purple cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline that left her collarbones on display. Sakura had no idea where she’d gotten the money for either of their clothes for the night but knew better than to ask. While they both had enough to go by, they were dirt poor compared to these people.

They had no business entering this side of town, where even the air they breathed was expensive, but Ino was determined to celebrate. It wasn’t every day that her best friend turned twenty, she’d said. Sakura had laughed when Ino told her not to worry because this was her treat. She knew that Ino didn't have any intention of paying for anything here and wondered how she expected to be able to outrun anyone in these shoes. Hence the reason Sakura had taken her boots along for the ride because there was no way she was entering a car chase in heels.

Sakura held open the door when they arrived, and Ino walked up to the reception, which was manned by a waiter in a bowtie and suit. It was warm inside, and soft music played from hidden speakers. The floor was covered with a rich red carpet, which complemented the dark wood of the furniture. Sakura looked up at the gleaming chandeliers that lit the restaurant with a soft glow. Everything looked so elegant here, and Sakura had to hand it to Ino; she really knew how to pick a place.

“Hi, a table for two,” Ino said with confidence, and Sakura marveled at how natural she looked here, surrounded by such opulence.

“Do you have a reservation?” The waiter behind the counter asked.

“No, I didn’t think we’d need one,” Ino said with a cute pout that usually got her what she wanted. He feigned a smile and looked down at his monitor. Sakura shifted her weight onto her other foot, ready to pull Ino away and head back towards their usual joint. This place wasn’t worth the effort, no matter how classy it appeared.

“There was a cancellation. Our next table should be available in about twenty minutes if you’re willing to wait,” he said after a moment of shuffling through the evening’s reservations.

“Lucky us. We'll stay,” Ino said with a sharp smile that the waiter did not return.

“If you would be so kind as to wait here for a moment, another waiter will come to escort you to the official waiting area,” he said but forgot about them when the door opened again. He looked past them and plastered on an oily smile.

“Excuse me,” the man who’d just entered said. His date, a tall woman with her hair pulled up into an elegant knot, observed Ino and Sakura with an air of disdain as they rudely pushed past them to get the counter. Sakura had the urge to stick out her tongue at her, just to see what kind of reaction she’d gain.

“Ah, monsieur. Your usual table?” the waiter asked the asshole. At receiving a nod, he lifted the countertop to escort them personally. “Excuse us, ladies,” he said, and they both smiled with false demureness as they stepped out of their way. Sakura made sure that the couple had to let go of each other to get between them, her arm brushing against the man’s suit as they passed. Ino did the same on the other side, but she purposefully bumped into the lady hard enough to have to grab her by the shoulder to keep them from falling.

“Oh, my! I’m so sorry,” she said earnestly and took a step back to give them more space. The lady sent her a frosty glare but said nothing as she put her hand on her companion’s arm again.

“It happens to the best of us,” he assured them with a stiff nod before they continued on.

“That fucker didn't seem to need a reservation. I bet they took our table!” Ino hissed into Sakura’s ear when they were out of hearing range.

“What did you expect from a place like this?” Sakura whispered back, and Ino scowled. She opened her mouth to make another scathing remark but was interrupted by the arrival of their waiter.

“Allow me to escort you, ladies. You can take a seat at the bar while you wait for a table,” he said with a bow. The bar served as a waiting area as well, and Sakura wondered why they couldn’t just have their dinner there. The tables were tall enough for them to stand by them, but they chose one with chairs. Sakura wasn’t eager to stand for long in heals. Ino placed her purse on the table as they took their seat and Sakura took a look around. Their new position gave them a good view of the establishment, but her back was to the door.

“Can I get you ladies anything to drink?” he asked when they were seated.

“Yes, I’ll have the House Blend,” Ino said after considering the menu. The waiter nodded and looked at Sakura expectantly.

“I’ll just have some sparkling water,” Sakura said.

“Excellent, I’ll have your drinks ready in a moment.”

“Water? It’s your birthday, forehead. Live a little!” Ino said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

“It’s fancy water,” Sakura defended. “Besides, one of us needs to keep their wits about them.”

“Always so responsible,” Ino sighed.

“You’d be dead without me, pig” Sakura teased, reminding her of all the times she’d bailed her ass out of jail.

“Probably,” Ino agreed.

They bickered back and forth. Sakura couldn’t keep the smile off her face, honestly glad that she’d agreed to Ino’s harebrained scheme. She’d never been inside such a fancy place.

“Here we are.” Their waiter set down their drinks in front of them. Sakura smiled politely in thanks, and Ino batted her eyes flirtatiously. He flushed. “Anything else I can get you?”

“No thank you.” Ino gave him a sultry smile and wrapped her lips around her straw to take a sip. “We’ll call if we need anything.”

The poor guy didn’t stand a chance against the blonde bombshell. He bowed and walked away with a slightly dazed expression. Ino snorted when he was out of view. Sakura held her glass up to her mouth to hide her grin against the rim. Her drink wasn’t nearly as indulgent as Ino’s, but she needed to keep a clear head when they hit the road again. Ino lounged back in her chair, holding her ridiculously expensive cocktail to her chest, and Sakura watched as she took another sip of it, careful not to smear her lipstick.

“You know that there’s bound to be as much sugar, if not more, than alcohol in that drink,” Sakura said, and Ino pouted.

“I’m not on a diet so don’t spoil this for me!” Ino clutched the drink to her chest defensively.

“You never needed to go on a diet in the first place,” Sakura sighed. Ino relaxed, a small smile crossing her face. The door opening let in a gust of wind and Sakura shivered as the cold air brushed against the bare skin of her back. Her red dress was backless, a far cry from her usual getup, and she was grateful that it had sleeves.

“Stop squirming, you look hot!” Ino reassured her. Sakura stopped fidgeting and smoothed out the skirt of her dress. She felt like the slit that ran up her thigh to her hip was exposing her ass cheeks to the world. She was wearing underwear of course, but the only pair that would look good with this kind of dress was a high waisted thong, and that hardly gave her much coverage. Sakura was only glad that the fabric around her left leg concealed the slim dagger she’d holstered around her thigh. Ino had a pistol in her purse, but Sakura hadn’t dared to travel unarmed even though they were in the safer part of the city.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ino grumbled and gestured towards the reception with her chin.

Sakura turned around and saw the headwaiter lead three men in suits to the dining hall. The tallest had a dark scowl on his face, and his unnaturally green eyes and red sclera sent a pool of dread down Sakura’s spine. She knew danger when she saw it, and this was not a man to be trifled with. His two companions, a blond and a redhead, appeared bored to be there, but Sakura knew that they weren’t here to mix business with pleasure.

Her skin tingled, and Sakura shivered at the odd sensation. She took a cooling sip of her drink and was about to comment on it when their waiter returned. He was eager to give Ino a refill, but she placed a hand over her glass.

“Could we have something to nibble on instead? We’re starting to get hungry,” Ino asked, and Sakura could see the annoyance lurking underneath her playful smile.

“Of course! I apologize for the delay; your table will be ready in a few moments.” He hurried off and returned with a basket full of bread and a small jar of pesto. It was freshly prepared by the cook and on the house, according to the waiter. It was delicious. Sakura was too hungry to be instantly soothed by some fancy bread but they still took a moment to appreciate the taste and texture of it.

“Let’s hope there won’t be a shootout,” Ino spoke suddenly, and Sakura knew she was referring to the new arrivals.

“Yeah, that’s not how I want to spend my evening,” Sakura agreed. It was depressing how frequently fights broke out nowadays. Civilians got caught in the crossfire of gang wars countless times, and corrupt officials looked the other way while men like these made dark deals in fancy restaurants.

Luck was with them tonight, and when they finally got a table, they were relieved to see that it was close to the kitchen so they could make a quick exit through the back if things turned sour. Sakura smirked when she saw whose table the men had joined. It was the couple they’d bumped into in the reception and Sakura got a mild kick from seeing the nervous sweat on the man’s face at being cornered. Served him right for getting involved with men like these when he couldn’t deliver. The lady was unhappy with their new company, and going by the fierce glare she was giving her date, this hadn't been a part of their evening plans.

Their waiter weaved in between tables and steered them through the dining hall with ease. Sakura was relieved that the man with the scary eyes had his back to her. The blond, who was closer to Sakura’s age, winked at her when he saw her looking. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at his shameless appraisal of her, and his grin widened in return. She moved her attention to the last man at the table, the redhead with hooded eyes. A tremor ran through her, but the unsettling feeling lasted only for a fraction of a second as she passed them by. He didn’t look up, much to Sakura’s relief.

They placed their orders when they were seated, having had plenty of time to make up their minds while they waited. They decided to go all out tonight and requested a three-course meal.

“Tonight, we eat like royalty,” Ino said and held up her glass in a toast which Sakura gladly reciprocated.

Curiosity got the better of her and Sakura looked over at their table. Now that she had time to observe them properly she noticed the similarities between the blond man and Ino. He wore his hair half pulled up in a ponytail with a long bang covering one eye.

“I think I found your long lost twin,” she said, and Ino scoffed.

“Where?”

“Over there.” Sakura gestured discretely to their table, but Ino had no such compunction and craned her neck to get a better look.

“Motherfucker, you’re right,” Ino gasped in outrage. She wasn’t the only one to have noticed, and the blond met her with a disbelieving stare of his own. Ino scowled, and he glared back. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned back to Sakura. “Whatever, I’m still prettier.”

“I don’t know,” Sakura drawled. His visible blue eye was quite striking. “He could give you a run for your money.”

“You’re horrible,” Ino deadpanned, and Sakura finally gave in to the urge to laugh.

The blond’s pouting must have caught the attention of his companion because when Sakura looked over again, she made direct eye contact with amber eyes. Her skin crawled with sudden, unnatural heat. Uncomfortable with his scrutiny, Sakura’s eyes lowered down to his hand, which was curled around a wine glass, and her breath caught in her chest. Thin blue strings extended from his fingers and stretched across the room. She quickly turned to see where they lead, but they vanished through the front door. The shock of seeing something so bizarre forced her back to reality, and her eyelids fluttered against the sudden lightheadedness she experienced. She snuck another look at him out of the corner of her eye, and her heart lurched when she saw that he was still watching her.

He only looked away when the rich guy had made to stand up, but something pulled him back down. A new string had materialized from the redhead’s finger and was now connected to the man’s chest, forcing him back down with a twitch of his finger. Sakura’s eyes widened in horror, and she hastened to look away before the redhead discovered that he had a witness. Ino hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary, or she would have reacted, but Sakura was desperate for a distraction. She searched wildly for something to say before she went into hysterics.

“How’s work?” She asked, her voice an octave higher than natural. Ino’s parents were florists, which was not the most lucrative business, but Sakura knew they might have been well off if they’d lived in another world. Ino gave her a weird look but chose not to comment on the abrupt change of topic.

“It’s been kind of slow lately, but we’re bound to have more business if these gang wars keep up. Funeral flowers are always so depressing to arrange,” Ino sighed before she perked up. “I have an early shift tomorrow. You should totally come by and save me from boredom.”

“Yeah, I might,” Sakura said absently. It had been some time since Sakura’s last visit to the Yamanaka Flower. That had been for a funeral as well. Ino looked up from her plate and appeared pensive all of a sudden.

“You know that there’s still a chance they’re-” Ino started quietly, her expression soft but Sakura couldn’t bear it. She knew where this was going and had to put a stop to it before she said their names.

“I think this dress is giving me a rash,” Sakura interrupted her. She refused to cry on her birthday. “I’m going to go to the bathroom and check it out.”

“I need to take a piss,” Ino said after a pause and stood up. “I’ll come with you.”

“Is everything okay?” Their waiter popped up, and Sakura’s eyebrow twitched with annoyance. His eagerness to please had been amusing at first, but now it was starting to wear on her patience.

“We’re just going to powder our noses,” Ino said, her words devoid of her earlier crassness. She put her hand on Sakura’s back and led her away, recognizing the signs of her rising temper.

They had to pass their table again, and the blond shamelessly checked them out though he still appeared put out by Ino’s similarity. The scary-eyed man was speaking to the rich man in a low, threatening manner. Sakura feigned obliviousness, and carefully kept her eyes ahead, aware of the pair of eyes drilling into the back of her head. Hopefully, Ino wouldn’t notice.

“You’ve got an admirer,” Ino said the moment she’d locked the door, and Sakura bit back a curse her perceptiveness. Those freaky strings only meant trouble, and there was no way she was going to drag Ino into harm’s way.

“Oh?” She said with forced disinterest. She pulled her arms out of the long sleeves of her dress, the silky fabric rolling as she pushed the front down. She didn’t feel a lick of embarrassment when the cold air nipped at her exposed flesh. There wasn’t anybody here to see her half-naked except for Ino, and they’d been best friends for over ten years. The skin between her breasts was a splotchy red and irritated, and she compulsively put her hand on it. It felt hot to the touch and was sore and slightly raised with inflammation.

“What the hell,” Ino breathed, leaning in to take a closer look. “Do you think it could be an allergic reaction?”

“It’s not appearing anywhere else. It looks like a bug bite,” Sakura said with a frown.

“Gross.” Ino grimaced.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend’s squeamishness and went over to the sink to run a tissue under the cold water. She pressed it to her chest and sighed at the momentary relief it gave her. She turned around and leaned against the sink, marveling at how clean everything was here, while Ino took a leak. She could see her reflection on the tiles. It would be hard to return to reality, where public bathrooms were disgusting from the acts of vandalism caused by bored teens, and needles and syringes - with the occasional blood splatters - left behind by the shaky hands of drug addicts.

Ino checked Sakura’s hip to get to the sink, and Sakura threw the now warm tissue into the bin. She looked into the mirror to get a closer look at the redness and put her dress back on after a moment of deliberation. It didn’t seem serious, and the pain was mild compared to what she’s experienced.

“Does it hurt?” Ino asked. She slung her purse onto the counter and pulled out a gloss and handed it to Sakura.

“No,” Sakura said. She met her eyes in the mirror as she applied it and raised an eyebrow in question when she saw Ino’s smug grin.

“I got her pearls,” Ino said and dangled the necklace in between her thumb and forefinger to show her. It belonged to the woman she’d bumped into at the reception.

“Well, I got his wallet,” Sakura countered and held it up with a devilish smirk. Ino laughed in delight and slung her arm over Sakura’s shoulder.

“How much is in there?” she asked, and Sakura opened the wallet. They both gasped when they saw the thick wad of bills inside.

“What an idiot! Who the hell carries around that much?” Ino snatched the money and counted it quickly, swearing when she noticed they were all one hundred bills. She stuffed it into her bra for safekeeping.

“I’ve never seen a credit card like this,” Sakura mused and showed Ino the sleek black card she’d found inside the wallet. It had a holographic serial number on it and a small silver chip but no name or address.

“It’s a luxury card!” Ino gasped. “Who the hell is this guy?”

“An idiot we just robbed,” Sakura smirked and tossed the wallet into the garbage. It wasn’t worth the risk of keeping when there was a chance of it having a tracker sewed into the leather; rich people were so paranoid these days.

“Well, who wouldn’t want to be robbed by a pair of babes like us?” Ino asked, and struck a pose that put her curves on display. Sakura snorted and smacked her on the bottom.

“Should we pay the bill now that we have the money?” She asked, handing Ino her gloss back.

“Are you crazy? I’m not going to waste a single penny in this pretentious place!” Ino hissed. She looked scandalized at the thought, and Sakura laughed.

“We can’t keep this,” Sakura gestured with the card. “The chip definitely has a tracker, and they’ll find us if we make a withdraw.”

“We’re not taking it with us, but we could use his card to pay for our meal,” Ino dismissed.

“What happened to not paying a single penny?”

“It’s not every day a rich, handsome man pays for your meal.” Ino swiped the card from Sakura’s hand and put it in her purse. “Besides, we’ll be gone before they notice.”

“True,” Sakura agreed.

“Come on, I want some dessert,” Ino said and pulled Sakura out of the bathroom. They rounded the corner just in time to see the redhead man mutter something with a small smirk that sent the blond off. The couple was nowhere in sight, but Sakura noticed that the men were eating the food they’d ordered.

“How can you say such a thing? Art is supposed to be fleeting!” the blond cried, banging the table for emphasis. He would have continued, but he’d incited the ire of the scary-eyed man when the cutlery clinked loudly against the wooden tabletop.

“Deidara, shut up,” he growled, pointing his knife at him threateningly.

“Don’t point that knife at me unless you want to fight, Kakuzu,” Deidara spat, looking ready to vault over the table and attack him. The redhead leaned back in his seat and watched them with open satisfaction at having successfully riled his partners. Sakura slowed down, wanting to catch his name now that she could hear them, but he saw them. The moment their eyes met the skin between her breasts started to sting again, and Sakura was now positive he had something to do with it. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he raised his eyebrows, unimpressed by her scowl. Sakura didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of letting him see how unnerved she was and was grateful when Ino pulled her past them, breaking their strange connection.

“What a bunch of weirdos,” Ino muttered as they sat down. Sakura agreed; there was definitely something wrong with them. She was hesitant to call it supernatural, but it was either that, or she was losing her mind. Her analytical mind preferred the latter.

They ordered a slice of chocolate cake and a bowl of strawberry ice cream to share, and Ino was slumped back in her seat by the time they’d finished, having gorged herself on the excellent food. She entertained herself by twirling her wine glass by the stem, and Sakura felt an overwhelming fondness for her. She reached over the table to take Ino’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for tonight.”

“Of course, only the best for my friends,” Ino dismissed after her initial surprise. She turned her hand up and tickled Sakura’s palm until she let her go. The redhead was still watching her with a calculative gaze, and Sakura wanted nothing more than to leave. Then, she realized that nothing was stopping her now that they’d eaten.

“Ready to get this show on the road?” she asked, and Ino nodded. She threw her napkin onto her plate and took up her purse.

“Go get the bike, I’ll be ready,” Ino told her as she stood up, and Sakura hurried away. She feared that the redhead would follow her out if she didn’t walk fast enough. Her heart sank when she was reminded of his strings. They were still in place, shuddering like a spider web as the waiters stepped on them and sent the vibrations back to their castor. Suitably freaked out, Sakura avoided touching them and followed a group of rowdy businessmen out of the restaurant. They spilled out onto the street with guffaws, obviously drunk, but they walked on unhindered by the threads.

Sakura darted down the sidewalk towards the parking lot, observing how the strings dispersed in every direction and extended until they were out of sight. She shuddered and picked up her pace. It was getting dark, and the chilly air nipped at her skin. Three men sat on another restaurant’s veranda and catcalled loudly as she passed but she forced herself to ignore them. The one leaning against the railing stretched his hand out to swat at her ass but missed. Anger burned brightly inside her at their audacity. She kept going nonetheless, knowing that she wasn’t equipped to get retribution at the moment.

Her bike stood untouched, and Sakura wasted no time in pulling up the seat after unlocking the compartment underneath it to get her clothes. She gladly switched her heels for boots and pulled on a pair of skintight shorts. She didn’t have the time to take off her dress, but she shifted the holster to her bared leg for easy access to her knife and threw on her jacket. She then wrapped the skirt around her thigh to keep it out of the way and pushed the seat back down.

The engine growled loudly as she put her key in the ignition. Sakura kicked off with a savage grin, and she tore off onto the street. She hadn’t forgotten the man who’d tried to touch her and steered her bike onto the sidewalk. Walking pedestrians flattened themselves to the wall with shouts as she rode up the pavement. The men were still sitting there, calling harassments after a group of teenage girls, and she gave a burst of speed. Sakura took great pleasure in grabbing the man who'd tried to touch her by the head and smashing his face into the table with enough force to break his nose. Screams broke out as the table toppled over, sending glass flying, but Sakura didn’t slow down. They were bound to call the cops on her, but she didn’t care. She needed to get Ino, and they’d be off. Besides, the police wouldn’t follow them into the lawless zone. They never did.

Sakura proceeded onto the street and slowed down when she came to the restaurant but didn’t dare to get any closer when she saw that the mobsters were standing on the sidewalk. They were preparing to leave but stalled when she revved her engine as a signal for Ino to get her ass out. They looked up at the noise, and Deidara threw his head back with a laugh when he recognized her.

“I like your style, pinky!” he called. Sakura rolled her eyes, resenting the juvenile nickname, and flicked him the finger. Her pink hair was beautiful!

“You jealous?” she called back, seeing no harm in engaging in some light-hearted smack talk when she’d be gone in less than a minute.

As if summoned, Ino threw open the door to the restaurant and jumped out. It was amazing how fast she could move in those shoes, because she was past the mobsters and on the street a split second later, shouting, “So long suckers!”

She hopped on behind Sakura and wound her arms around her middle. Sakura laughed, adrenaline rushing through her veins when the waiter burst out of the restaurant. In his haste, he bumped into Deidara with enough force to send him stumbling.

“Watch it!” Deidara shouted as he caught himself on the redhead, who shoved him away, but the waiter wasn’t listening.

“Ma’am!” He yelled, rushing towards them with his hand raised. Ino laughed hysterically and fluttered her fingers in farewell as Sakura kicked off. They tore down the street loudly, Ino’s laughter drowned by the sound of the motorcycle.

There wasn’t much traffic besides the usual cabs, but people walked carelessly onto the streets. The sound of Sakura’s motorcycle was enough to warn them of her approach, but she had to swerve to avoid crashing into a group of young adults. They shouted profanities at them as they pelted past. Sakura’s ears picked up the sound of sirens approaching, and she knew they would be in trouble if they didn’t make it to the Fringes before they caught sight of them.

She gasped as the dull pain in her chest burned brightly. Something was seriously wrong with her, but there was no time to stop and check, and going to the hospital was out of the question now that they were being tailed.

“Wow, that was quick!” Ino remarked when a police vehicle sped onto the street some paces behind them. Sakura didn’t answer but knew it was her fault for being such a hothead. It was still worth it. Sweat gathered on her forehead, and she tightened her grip on the handlebars. They gained more speed as they got closer to the Fringes.

The traffic was worse in this part of the city, and horns blared around them as they zigzagged between cars. Sakura saw an opening between two lanes as they approached an intersection. The lights were red, and the police were stuck behind the other vehicles. Nobody liked cops in these parts, so no one moved out of their way despite their sirens. Sakura thanked her lucky stars that they're petty crimes didn't warrant any backup.

They were almost at the intersection when suddenly a monstrous creature emerged from the shadows of an alleyway. Its body bubbled and reminded Sakura of boiling tar, but its dark skin had an odd transparent quality as it crawled forward. It looked ill. People walked past it without hesitation, completely unaware of its presence as it slunk across the street in front of them. Sakura watched in horror as the cars moved right through it like it was invisible, a scream bubbling in her throat.

_What the hell was going on?_

“Do you see that?” Sakura shouted. She was fed up with being the only one freaked out by this.

“See what?” Ino asked, confirming Sakura’s suspicions. This may all be happening inside her head, but there was no way in hell that she was getting close to that thing.

“Hold on!” Sakura slammed on the breaks. The rubber of her tires squealed against the concrete as she changed direction abruptly. Ino’s grip on Sakura turned bruising as she held on for dear life.

“Sakura!” Ino screamed into her ear.

They rounded the corner and Sakura growled as they steamed into oncoming traffic. She turned sharply, and they sped off the street and onto the walkway before they could collide. People jumped out of their way with alarmed shouts. They needed more cover, so Sakura swerved onto a side street, and recognized their surroundings with rising panic. They were close to the bridge where most of the street beggars slept at night, and that meant they were encroaching Oto’s territory. They’d be shot down on sight; Sakura’s hair was very noticeable.

“Fuck,” Sakura muttered and turned back towards the Fringes, crisscrossing between streets and toeing the line between neutral grounds and Oto. The sirens were fading away, but Sakura didn’t dare to stop until they were inside their own neighborhood.

She navigated past noisy teens, who were roaming the streets restlessly in search of entertainment. They acted like they owned the city, and Sakura was forcibly reminded of the time she spent her nights in a similar fashion, getting up to no good while she looked for an escape. It seemed like this generation lived by the same principles; live life like there was no tomorrow. She’d been right in a sense, the future wasn’t worth much here. Now she was an unemployed twenty-year-old, on the run from the police after a stupid dine and dash, and seeing monsters at every turn. What a time to be alive.

“You can let me off at my parent’s apartment,” Ino said as Sakura automatically headed towards her own apartment.

“You sure?” Sakura asked, and Ino nodded. She pressed her face into Sakura’s shoulder, most likely tired after all the excitement.

“Early shift tomorrow remember?” she said so quietly that Sakura almost didn’t hear her. She’d completely forgotten about that.

Sakura shook off her worthless nostalgia and delivered Ino home. She came to a stop in front of the Yamanaka Flower, and Ino hopped off to stretch her legs. Her parents had lived in the apartment above the store for as long as Sakura could remember.

“Why did you head towards Oto like that?” Ino asked.

“I thought I saw something,” Sakura mumbled. That monster was the least of her problems at the moment. She was breathing through her nose in an attempt to conceal how shallow her breath was. The burn in her chest had turned into needlelike pinpricks.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Ino asked, unconvinced.

“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Sakura reassured her with a weak smile. Ino considered her for a moment before throwing her arms around her in a quick embrace.

“Whatever. Stay safe, forehead.” She pulled away.

“Night,” Sakura said, her chest hurting in more than one way. She waited until Ino had unlocked her door and returned her wave before taking off home.

She made it in one piece, but the stumble up the stairs was agony. She was wheezing by the time she was on her floor and all but fell into her apartment after unlocking the door. The pain in her chest spiked, and it felt like she was being stabbed with a knife. She staggered into her bathroom and turned on the light, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the harsh brightness. Sakura blanched when she saw herself in the mirror. Her sweaty face was sickly pale and her eyes feverishly bright; she almost looked as bad as that grisly ghost she’d seen.

“Shit!” Sakura gasped as the pain rose to a new level and tore off her dress with shaking hands. She watched in transfixed silence as the irritation on her skin started to take shape. Red welled up through her skin and Sakura trembled as a distinct mark appeared on her solar plexus like a ghostly tattoo.

It was an outlining of a diamond with a scarlet scorpion in the center.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Utopia was originally posted on my Tumblr [@minisceptic](https://minisceptic.tumblr.com/) but is now available on [FF.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12847013/1/Utopia/) as well if you prefer to read on their app.


	2. Stirring the Sleepless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now for some magic!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta read!

                                                               

Artwork by [@minisceptic](https://minisceptic.tumblr.com/)

_Please do not repost without permission and do not remove credit!_

* * *

The pain was gone.

Sakura stood riveted to the spot in front of her mirror. Her breath hitched in her chest, and her throat convulsed on a sob. She couldn’t deny that there was witchcraft at work here now that she had the evidence branded on her flesh.

She threw up into her sink.

The shock barely registered as nausea wracked through her. Sakura leaned over to rest her forehead against the cold mirror. She felt hollowed out like she'd just puked all of her internal organs down the drain. She pressed her forehead into the glass, trying to rid herself of the feeling, and yelped when it fractured. Blood welled from the fresh cut, and she lurched back in bewilderment. There hadn't nearly been enough force behind her touch to break the mirror, but the sting told her that her injury was real.

Sakura brought up a hand to assess the damage and watched the multiple copies of herself in between the cobweb-like cracks in the mirror do the same. A surge of _something_ danced across her fingertips, and a faint green light flickered in and out of existence, so quickly that she would have missed it if she'd blinked. The sting in her forehead vanished immediately, and Sakura wiped away the blood with a trembling hand. The wound was gone, and if it hadn't for the blood and her broken mirror, Sakura would have a hard time believing it had been there in the first place.

"What is happening to me?" she whispered, her voice cracking sharply in her throat.

Her dress slipped off her body and pooled onto the ground around her feet. She kicked it away and turned on the tap after seeing the disgusting state of her sink. Hopefully, the drain hadn't clogged with her vomit.

Her numb mind, she collapsed onto the closed toilet to remove her boots. They landed on top of the dress when she shook them off, but she couldn’t be bothered to rescue the fabric off the floor. She needed a shower. Her skin was starting to crawl, and she quickly stripped out of her underwear. She bit her lips viciously to stop the chattering of her teeth and stepped into the cramped shower stall.

The pipes groaned when she turned it on, and icy water dripped on her where she stood underneath the weak spray. The plumbing inside the building was ancient, and Sakura banged her fist on the wall beside the showerhead for the hot water. There used to be a tile there, but it had broken after Sakura's continued abuse, leaving behind raw cement. The shower sputtered and released an intermittent torrent of scalding and freezing water.

She came back to her senses when she ran out of hot water. Shivering, Sakura noticed that she'd been rubbing the skin on her chest raw. The scorpion glared at her, and she quickly turned off her shower and stepped out, dripping water everywhere. Sakura avoided looking into the mirror as she dried off and went through her bedtime routine on autopilot. She put on her sleepwear, brushed her teeth, and even put out a bowl of tuna onto her fire escape balcony for the stray cat who lived in the alleyway below. It wasn’t until she was sitting in her bed, her back against the wall that her focus returned. Sakura knew that she shouldn’t waste electricity by keeping her lamp on, but the thought of being plunged into darkness was more frightening than she cared to admit. This weakness angered her so she turned it off.

The sounds of shouting and echoing laughter rang from the streets below, accompanied by the heavy beat of bass playing from passing cars and the distant sounds of traffic and sirens created a cacophony of a city that never slept.

Sakura pressed her forehead to her knees and willed the tension building behind her eyes away. She focused on taking calming breaths, her ears piquing at any unexpected harsh noise.

Plagued by the thoughts of monsters lurking outside her bedroom, sleep was the last thing on Sakura's mind, and sitting alone in the dark did not help her overactive imagination. Did the red-haired man know that she'd witnessed everything, that she was now privy to the stuff of nightmares? Bile rose in her throat when she remembered how his threads had stripped that rich guy of his will. Even the monster that had dragged itself out of the shadow, its essence dripping off its body like it was diseased, couldn't compare to the horror of becoming a slave to one's own body. All it took was a flick of his finger, and another human had essentially become his puppet.

Minutes dragged into hours and hours turned into a new morning, and Sakura had a horrific crick in her neck when daylight forced its way through her blinds. At some point, the hubbub of nightlife had turned into the blaring of car horns as drivers stuck in morning traffic expressed their fury at being late for work.

Seeing the light brought a new sense of determination to Sakura and she chided herself for having given into her paranoia fueled thoughts so quickly. She slumped to the side with heavy eyes and stretched her aching body as she melted into her mattress. Unsurprisingly, she fell asleep almost instantly and drool smearing against her sheets as she started to snore.

Hours later, the sound of her phone ringing from somewhere inside the apartment jolted her back to reality, and Sakura felt truly rotten when she rolled out of bed to hunt the cursed thing down. It was in the pocket of her jacket, and she peered at the ID with dry eyes.

_Ino._

“Hey, pig,” Sakura said, clearing her throat when her voice came out cracked and worn.

“Morning, sunshine. You sound like shit,” Ino said happily. “How’s it hanging?”

“I’m hanging up if you’re going to be rude,” Sakura sniffed and staggered into her kitchen to drink some water. She drank directly from the faucet, vindictively holding her phone so Ino’s voice was drowned out by the sound of running water. It washed away the sour taste of old vomit and toothpaste from her mouth.

“Are you done?” Ino asked dryly, unimpressed by Sakura’s pettiness.

“Yes,” Sakura said primly.

“Good. Get your ass to the shop; I’m starting to feel depressed and _bored_ ,” Ino said, emphasizing bored like that was the worse crime. Then again, it probably was in her mind. Sensing Sakura’s hesitance, Ino pulled out the big guns. “I have coffee.”

“Fine,” Sakura sighed, cursing her weakness for a good brew. The Yamanaka’s had some of the best coffee in town. It was store-bought, but it never tasted the same when she tried to make it herself. She was starting to suspect witchcraft. “I’ll see you in twenty.”

“Bye,” Ino sang as she hung up.

“Witch,” Sakura muttered as she put her phone on the table. She needed a shower. The one she’d taken last night had made her feel greasy, and Ino was bound to give her crap if she saw the state of her hair.

Whatever, she felt fine now.

Her tiny bathroom looked like a disaster zone; dried blood and broken shards of the mirror covered the sink, and her nice dress lay trampled underneath her boots on the floor. Sakura kicked the clothing out of the bathroom, so she had room to walk around. She suffered through another freezing shower, quickly lathering her hair with shampoo and jumped out the moment the suds were gone. There was no hiding the bags underneath her eyes, and Sakura sniffed at her reflection in the shattered remnants of her mirror. She felt refreshed but didn’t look it. Her bloodshot eyes and pallor were not helping the case that she was trying to make against herself - she appeared to be the furthest thing from fine.

She lowered the towel from her chest. The mark was still there. Sakura blew out her cheeks and poked at it. The pain from yesterday was nowhere to be found, and it felt like any other part of her skin. She wondered if she could do the same trick as she did yesterday with her fingers and heal it. Trying to dredge up the force she’d experienced yesterday, Sakura stared at her fingers, willing the green light to flicker into life. Nothing happened. There was no surge of inexplicable power and Sakura was left feeling silly.

Shaking her head at herself, Sakura decided that it was for the best. There was no need to open that can of worms again. She grabbed her boots off the floor on her way out, leaving the mess in her sink to clean later, and pulled on a black thermal shirt and a pair of sweatpants, desiring comfort over looks. Ino could cry in a corner over her fashion choices this time.

A single coin lay forgotten on the last step of her stairwell. Someone must have dropped it. Another person's loss was her gain, and Sakura took it as a sign that the odds were in her favor today and bent down to pick it up. She stuck it into her pocket and continued on her way with a new spring in her step.

She’d decided against driving her bike to Ino because the traffic during the afternoon was especially dreadful. There was always traffic, the price of living in such an overpopulated city, but it grew even more chaotic when people were eager to get home from work. As a pedestrian, Sakura was able to walk faster than the sluggish line of moving cars. Their continuous and futile honking was getting on her nerves though, and Sakura huddled deeper into her coat as it started to drizzle. Tendrils of the weak March sun tried to push their way through the smog with little success.

Konoha was an odd district. It stretched well into the wealthier parts of the city, but it also made up the majority of the Fringes. It wasn’t the poorest part of the city by any standards, but it wasn’t as touched by the technological advancement as the other districts, especially near the Founder’s Village, which was deserted for the most parts.

As the modern metropolis Sakura lived in today had grown by leaps and bounds it had pushed the ruins of the village to the side to allow for new development. The village now hugged the outskirts of the Forest of Death, which no sane person stepped into willingly. There was a reason for its gruesome name - tales of souls lost to creeping monsters and creatures were kept alive by the retelling of old wives’ tales and horror stories to young children in an effort keep them in line. Not that those tales had done any good to control rebellious teens, Sakura could attest to that, but people in these parts were superstitious by nature.

Sakura couldn’t help but wonder if there hadn’t been a grain of truth to the stories after all.

From what she’d had seen, nature was well on its way of swallowing the abandoned remains of civilization and Sakura remembered the night she’d visited those parts with her friends. They’d frightened each other with tales of ghosts and demons that were rumored to haunt the Founder’s Village and egged each other on to walk the streets and break into dilapidated houses. Nothing frightening had ever happened during those visits, besides the time they’d run into some squatters, but her old fears of being stolen away and eaten were starting to return.

Sakura shook away her morbid thoughts. There was no way she was going anywhere near that forest after what she’d seen. That ruled out taking the subway to Ino because it still followed the tracks through the old station there despite it having been years since they closed it.

She was waiting for the lights at the intersection when something odd happened.

It felt like a hairy spider was scuttling up her spine, and Sakura shuddered violently at the disgusting sensation. She looked over her shoulder and froze. There was a man with shaggy black hair standing beside a cart carrying mangos. Sakura wouldn’t have given the stranger a second thought if he hadn’t stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn’t the expensive suit he wore, though the vendor was practically salivating as he shouted prices at him, or his oddly colored eyes that Sakura could have sworn looked yellow in the flashing lights of the vendor’s neon sign. It was the familiar thin white thread that was rooted to the back of his head.

He looked her way.

Sakura ducked behind a vending machine with her heart lodged in her throat. She was in deep shit. Sakura was certain of it now, and she had the feeling that this was only the tipping point of these strange occurrences. If she weren’t careful, she’d be the picking between the teeth of a shadowy beast before she knew it.

Peeking around the corner, Sakura hunched back when she made direct eye contact with yellow eyes. _Fuck._ She needed to get out of here and fast.

There was a tram station up ahead, and people were trying to cram themselves into the overcrowded wagon. Deciding to take the risk, Sakura dashed to it and jumped onto its rear as the bell rang to alert its departure. She wasn’t the only one hanging onto it, and no one gave her a second glance, but when she looked over at the fruit vendor again, she saw that the man had vanished along with his string.

She didn’t believe for a second that this would be the last she saw of him and she tightened her grip on the rail as the tram lurched forwards. There was a trickle of black sand that had somehow gotten on her sleeve, probably from the filthy wall she’d crept behind, and she brushed it away. It fluttered down like soot, but Sakura paid it no mind. She had bigger problems to worry about than some dirt on her clothes.

She didn’t notice when the soot changed the course of its descent like it had a mind of its own and clung to the back of her boot.

Sakura felt exposed hanging like this. Why had she worn her red coat today? It was bad enough that her hair was naturally an attention-grabbing pink, but now she might as well hold up a sign that said: _‘Sakura Haruno is here!’_

She jumped off the tram the moment it was out of the neighborhood. The other drivers didn’t slow down around her and bleated their horns at her angrily as she darted across the street. Thankfully, she made it onto the sidewalk with all of her limbs intact.

Yellow-eyes was nowhere in sight, and Sakura had to double back a block because her spontaneous tram-ride had taken her further than she needed. She walked down the street with a new sense of foreboding, feeling like she was stuck some deranged game of cat and mouse. She fully expected the red-haired man from yesterday to spring out at her, cackling like a witch, and put another curse on her.

Sakura rounded a corner, and the storefront window of Yamanaka Flowers came into view. The street lay along the edge of a suburb but wasn’t very busy today, so there were only a couple of street vendors were inhabiting it. A bedraggled homeless woman dressed in rags sat in front of a laundromat and disturbed passersby with deep guttural screams. An overwhelming number of mad people roamed the streets of Konoha, and this woman wasn’t the first to let loose with bizarre behavior in public, but the reaction was always the same. The pedestrians were unanimous in their decision to ignore her, and the eyes of the adults passed over her like she wasn’t even and pulled their children away as they stopped to stare at her in open fascination.

She threw her head back and wailed again, and Sakura was tempted to join her and cry as well. That was until the old crone swiveled around and hissed at Sakura with bloodshot eyes. Sakura took a step back but pulled out the coin she’d found by her building and dropped it into the woman’s ragged paper cup. She may be poor, but at least she had a house over her head.

Besides, the coin hadn’t brought Sakura any luck today despite her dire need of it, but it might brighten this woman’s day.

Her screams instantly died in her throat, and she looked down into her cup in astonishment. She seemed to shrink in size and bowed her head to Sakura once before turning and dragging her bag into the laundromat, presumably to use her new coin to clean her clothes.

Yamanaka Flowers didn’t keep any flowers on display outside the store but instead had a large window to showcase their variety. Sakura could see Ino behind the counter. She was tying together a bouquet of white flowers and looked up when the bell rang as Sakura pushed open the door.

“Finally,” Ino groaned in greeting the moment Sakura stepped into her store. She put down her scissors and pushed the bouquet to the side to plant down her elbows and prop up her chin on her palms as she gave Sakura an assessing look. "You look like shit.”

“I was promised coffee,” Sakura said with a calm she wasn’t feeling. She felt unbelievably stupid for having risked leading a potentially lethal threat to Ino's store. There wasn't much she could do about it now since she was here, but Sakura should get into the habit of thinking ahead for once.

“It’s in the back, you leech.” Ino pointed her thumb over her shoulder and added. “There should be some chocolate there as well. I know that you haven't even had breakfast today."

"Thanks," Sakura said dryly.

"Love you," Ino sang after her.

The familiar surroundings of the dinky little room at the back of the store eased Sakura's stress. She had fond memories of sitting on the wooden stool that sat in the corner as Ino made them coffee while they gossiped, or 'shared intel' as Ino liked to call it. Ino had already set the coffee machine up, so Sakura only had to press the red button on the screen to turn it on. It buzzed to life, and a stream of black coffee trickled into the ready mug. The Yamanaka kept a mug for Sakura, a testament to how much time she'd spent here - it even had a cute little sakura blossom on the side. She plucked a piece of chocolate from the small bowl and let it melt on her tongue as the coffee machine signaled that it had finished its job.

Sakura grabbed another piece of chocolate for Ino before she joined her out front. She tossed it to her before taking a tentative sip from her mug, and let out a long sigh as the tension melted from her shoulders.

“Who are those for?” she asked Ino, nodding her head at the white bouquet.

“A grieving widow and mother,” Ino sighed, touching a fragile petal with the pad of her thumb. Sakura could see that there were faint shadows underneath Ino’s eyes and realized how taxing this must be for her. It seemed like everyone had someone to grieve nowadays. Ino straightened and cleared her face of any melancholy. “Hey, you still got that weird rash?”

“It’s just a bug bite.” Sakura shook her head. She'd decided that It was better to keep Ino in the dark for now, or at least until she figured out what was going on. Though her involuntary tattoo had already caused her a lot of grief, Sakura couldn't help but be a little intrigued by it as well. Her inquisitive mind was delighted by the mystery it posed, and it was bound to be interesting to get to the bottom of its nature.

“Well, you’ll tell me if it starts spreading. We don’t need you to start a new epidemic,” Ino said with a sharp grin, and Sakura rolled her eyes at her.

“I’ll let you know if I start losing my limbs,” Sakura bit back sarcastically.

“You better. That reminds me, I need to return our dresses,” said Ino.

“Where’d you get them?”

"Oh, Tenten's mom intended to put them on display, so I gave her our measurements," Ino said, and Sakura immediately felt guilty for having left her dress on the bathroom floor with shards of glass. Tenten was one of the few classmates Sakura had kept in contact with after graduation. There were only a handful of people who’d graduated in their year, Ino being another one of them. They’d all studied at Konoha’s Academy for Troubled Young Adults, but with a name like that, it didn’t surprise many that the dropout rate was higher than anywhere else in Konoha.

“I’ll bring it over tomorrow.” Sakura placed her mug on the table and played with the end of a ribbon. Ino started to pull together a new arrangement, this time with red roses and calla lilies.

"You haven't been to the Dojo in awhile," Ino remarked after a while. Sakura couldn't meet her eyes. Tenten ran a dojo with her two friends and old sensei which Sakura frequented in the past. She'd even volunteered during the summer to teach young women self-defense. The dojo doubled as a refuge as well, sheltering victims of abuse and getting them back on their feet again. Sakura had no idea where they got the finance to keep the place running for so long but had never had the guts to ask.

"Yeah, I've just been busy," Sakura said, and even she thought her excuse sounded weak. The last time she’d seen all her friends in one place was at a funeral with two empty caskets, and Sakura wasn’t excited to relive her emotions by meeting the gang again so soon.

Sakura looked away and thanked the high heavens that she did. Her suited stalker was on the other side of the street. She quickly ducked behind a display of carnations and hoped that she would blend in with the pastel pink blossoms. It was too late, he’d seen her, and Sakura dropped down into a crouch. Ino gave her a weird look, and her gaze darted to the window to see what had her so spooked.

“Alright, what’s going on, forehead?” she asked with her hands on her hips.

“See that guy - the one who’s standing by the laundromat?” Sakura said, and Ino nodded, her eyes narrowed into slits. “I think he’s been following me.”

“The one with the golden eyes?” Ino’s frown turned downright vicious. They’d both had their fair share of men who refused to take a hint.

“Yeah,” Sakura affirmed. How Ino could see his eye color from across the street was beyond her, but Sakura was glad that she believed her without hesitation.

“Well, you better get a move on because he’s heading this way,” Ino scowled, nudging Sakura further out of sight. “Use the back door. I’ll distract him and try to find out who he is.”

“I’m sorry I lead him here,” Sakura whispered, genuinely worried for Ino’s safety, but knew that it would only be worse if they were to confront him inside the store.

“Shut up. You were right to come to me,” Ino said decisively and took her station behind the counter. The white-knuckled grip she had on her scissors belied her anxiety. “Now scram!”

“Thank you,” Sakura said and stayed in her crouched position as she scuttled through the store and into the back. The jingle of the front door warned her that he was inside when she stepped out into the back-alley.

“Hi, can I help you?” Sakura heard Ino ask in a cheerful tone as she closed the door behind her gently. Thinking fast, Sakura jogged further into the alley and jumped onto a closed dumpster before leaping up onto an empty fire escape. She climbed up quickly and swung her legs up onto the roof. It was slick with rainwater, and she almost slipped but rolled back to safety. Water seeped into the back of her jacket and Sakura jumped up with a growl.

“Fucking perfect!” She didn’t notice how the black soot that had been clinging to her since the tram station partially seeped off her as it got drenched, too busy berating herself as she rolled her shoulders to keep the wet fabric from plastering against her neck.

Struck by a sudden thought, Sakura went to the edge of the rood and looked down to determine which way her stalkers thread lead, positive that the redhead was manipulating it on the other side. She would head in the opposite direction. It was pulled taught from underneath the flower shop's front door, and Sakura frowned, already regretting her decision of leaving Ino alone with the puppet-man.

She hovered in a moment of indecision, torn between turning tail and getting as far away from her stalker and his master as she could, and to return to Ino's side. The decision was taken out of her hands when the front door opened and the man stepped out again. He didn’t appear ruffled from a fight, so Ino hadn’t resorted to using her scissors.

Sakura threw herself back with a gasp when his head snapped back unnaturally and stared up at the place she’d been moments ago. How had he known where she was? Not willing to wait and find out, Sakura scrambled back and ran across the apartment block and launched herself up onto the neighboring roof. She skidded on the wet stone but kept her balance as she sprinted as far as the building allowed her. There was a five-meter gap between the one she was on, and the next and Sakura threw caution to the wind and launched herself off the building.

She made it.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she rolled with her rough landing. The scent of cooking wafted towards her and Sakura realized that she was nearing the food district. There weren’t any more buildings for her to jump onto, so she quickly found another fire escape to travel down. She darted across the street and tried to blend into the crowd of people that was emerging from the entrance of a subway station.

The market was packed with people on the hunt for an early dinner, but Sakura knew her way around the place. She'd frequented this place daily just a few months ago.

A loud bark of laughter had Sakura stumbling. The sound was so familiar that she made the unforgivable mistake of letting instinct rule her and a pang rippled through her chest when she recognized the aroma of Ichiraku’s ramen. Momentarily forgetting her pursuer, Sakura came to a halt when she reached the achingly familiar sight of the little ramen stand. The desire to push the flaps out of the way and see Naruto sitting in his chair was overwhelming. He would be eating his third bowl of ramen, laughing at his own jokes as he spoke to Ichiraku, and maybe he’d dragged a sulking Sasuke along.

The false hope fluttering inside Sakura’s chest was doused with frigid water when a stranger pushed the flap to the side. He was the source of laughter, and he and his companion waved to old man Ichiraku as they left.

Sakura backed away, tears prickling in her eyes at having been so stupid and her back knocked against someone’s chest.

It was her stalker.

He didn’t grab her like she’d anticipated or give any inclination that he’d chased her across half the city. His hands stayed non-threateningly at his sides. Up close he looked like a shoddy imitation of a human - his hair was the only thing about him that seemed real. His skin had a wooden quality, and his jaw had deep gauges that ran down to his mouth like one of those ventriloquist dolls. Sakura expected it to unhinge at any moment and reveal his hollow insides.

His lifeless eyes bored into her. They were unnatural as well, with two horizontal lines stretching from his irises and through the whites of his eyes.

He didn’t blink.

“Excuse me,” Sakura said stiffly. He stared at her blankly but didn’t move. Thoroughly freaked out, Sakura shouldered past him and hurried back to the subway entrance. She apparently couldn’t outrun him, but she might be able to lose him there. A stream of people slowed her down as she thundered down the stairs but she broke off into a run when she entered the station. Security was a breeze after they’d installed a new scanning system and Sakura chose the train that was only a minute away. She had to sprint down an escalator. There were plenty of other people in a hurry, and Sakura tagged on behind them as they created a way through the crowd.

The hot air from the subway and the smell of burnt rubber assaulting her senses as she made it down to the platform. Sakura didn’t think before she jumped into the nearest train and glued herself to one of the poles. That way she had quick access to the door and a better vantage point to see down the entire length of the train. Fewer people were taking this train than she’d anticipated and a quick look at the sign inside of it told her why.

It was the Red Line. The only train that passed through the Founder’s terminal.

Just her luck.

Yellow-eyes stepped in on the other side of the cab. The doors slid shut, sealing them in. Sakura shivered, but he appeared content to stand there and watch her. The train lurched forward and picked up to a speed that made Sakura's ears popped. She spread her feet to keep her balance and stared back with a confidence she wasn’t feeling.

Much too fast in her opinion, the train started to slow as it came onto the rickety tracks of the old station. They didn’t stop, but Sakura could see that weed had taken to grow between cracks in the floors and walls of the platform. The roof was partially caved in, and the dark sky peeked through. In the distance stood tall trees, their thick canopies just visible in the pale moonlight. Fresh rainwater dripped onto the floor and created a small pool of grey water on the moss-covered concrete. The sweet, pungent scents that usually accompanied a thunderstorm tickled Sakura’s nose, and her mind started to fog up as she breathed in the smell.

Time seemed to slow down to a stop, the train barely moving, and Sakura blinked with heavy lids as a thin bolt of yellow lightning struck the pool on the platform. No one else seemed aware of the extraordinary image the light created. It shattered into a thousand pieces and melted into a mirage of colors that then split apart, each growing long spindly legs and morphing into individual shapes. Sakura felt like she was in the midst of a fever dream and her head tilted forwards as her vision swam. She’d never believed in any of the nonsense about _‘auras’_ and _‘chakra’_ that Ino was so fond of. Sakura took it back now - this was the trippiest shit she’d ever seen, which was amazing, considering just last night she'd seen a monster.

The beings raced across the floor, changing colors sporadically, and disappeared through the cracks in the walls. They vanished as suddenly as they’d appeared and Sakura’s head slowly cleared.

Her mind sharpened, and she became fully aware of her surroundings as the train announced its approach to the next destination. A plan started to form in her mind as it started to slow down. It was time to lose Yellow-eyes once and for all - she was exhausted and beginning to feel the effects of running on an empty stomach for the entire day. Sakura walked over to the nearest door and watched her stalker do the same two doors down. The doors opened, and she pretended to get off.

She stalled, letting the flow of people surround her as they got onto the train. She could see his shaggy head bob among the crowd as he looked for her. _Good_ , Sakura thought vindictively, allowing the people who were getting off behind her to elbow their way past her without complaint. The train chimed to signal the closing of its doors, and Sakura threw herself back inside.

Yellow-eyes stood rooted to the spot, and she watched him grow smaller and smaller.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note:**

> Utopia was originally posted on my Tumblr [@minisceptic](https://minisceptic.tumblr.com/) but is now available on [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12847013/1/Utopia/) as well if you prefer to read on their app.


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